The Telep hire seems to be a smart move by the Spurs considering Telep has developed a solid reputation in the college ranks. Along with knowing most college coaches on a personal level, he’s also been following the majority of draft prospects since their formative years in high school — giving him a leg up in background research as well.

It’s an interesting time in the NBA as teams have begun searching out of the box in hopes of striking it rich with their front office hires. ESPN’s been a particularly popular area for NBA teams to poach, too, considering Telep will join John Hollinger (Grizzlies), Sebastian Pruiti (Thunder) and former Telep intern Drew Cannon (Celtics) as ESPN-to-NBA personnel members this year.

ESPN isn’t the only breeding ground for future front office personnel members, though. Wojnarowski notes the Utah Jazz recently brought agent Justin Zanik on board as assistant general manager and Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers took a similar route, serving as an agent before being hired as assistant GM in 2011 and eventually being promoted to his current role.